Thursday, 27 January 2011

Women: Stay away from dance halls!

Why? Because in times of war (and let's face it, in these troubled days when is it not at time of war?), all the men there will have syphilis. Don't take my word for it; ask the government:

That's right - dance halls themselves can give women syphilis! Even if they don't have sex with the infected hoardes within! Why modern medical science has sat on this bombshell is beyond logic. Obviously, all syphilitic men are such fine examples of male pulchritude as those pictured, and presumably being in a dance hall with a group of VD-riddled soldiers renders all women sexually incontinent. Not that I'd know, of course. Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe in this context "Syphilis" refers to some kind of looks-enhancing male skin care treatment that also makes the users really, really clumsy and dangerous to be around when they try to dance. But this makes me think that the first conclusion is the right one:

The 'smutty suggestion' here is that 'the famous Zita', she of the 'Dance of the Veil and a Half', is a stripper/hooker. Harrumph. Way to tarnish belly dancers, WWI health poster!

For more horrifying and amusing wartime sexism, check out the full darkly hilarious gallery on Mother Jones.